Exhibition preview: Therblig, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, until April 13 2013

A century after motion study innovators Lillian and Frank Gilbreth created therbligs to follow the movements of factory operatives at work, Lucy Carolan and Richard Glynn carried out a similar observational study at the SCA Hygeine Products’ tissue mill in the Northumberland town of Prudhoe.

Using photography and film, they watched manufacturing and clerical staff go about their duties, exploring industrial practice for the first time as part of artist collective Wideyed.

“The factory floor video feeds show, in a sense, the pulsing heart of the machinery that drives Prudhoe Mill,” says Carolan, reflecting on the reversal of the relationship between manpower and machines in modern mills, where employees use cameras to keep an eye on the robotics.

“Today, factories have perhaps become more anonymous – their external architecture gives little away of the products they make and the processes inside.

“This installation presents pairs of images that contrast the external viewpoints of the factory with images of the interior, revealing the people and processes that lead towards the finished product.”

The New Art Exchange has chosen the work as its Exposure Award winner, appearing as part of the Format International Photography Festival across the midlands during the next few weeks.

• Open 9am-5pm (closed Sunday). Admission free. Follow the gallery on Twitter @newartexchange.

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